Game strategy, offense situation. The Double Steal! Runners on 1st-2nd no outs

[TheSoftballZone]

Game strategy, offense situation. The Double Steal! Runners on 1st-2nd no outs.


Game Strategy, offense, The Double Steal

Game Situation - 14 under Girls Softball Team

A. Your the Away Team

B. Top of 7 inning.

C. Score 3-3 Tie Ball Game, No Outs!

D. Runners on 1st and 2nd Base

E. At the plate, number #6 batter. She's hit the ball twice in this game, right to short stop who made the routine outs.

F. Your Next batter in the #7 spot is very weak at the plate.

G. Your #8 batter hits allot of pop-ups


~ Offense options ~

1.) The Double Steal, have your 1st base and 2nd base runners steal at the same time.

2.) Double Steal Fake, try to get your 1st Base Runner to draw the throw. Maybe the lead runner can find a way to score.

3.) Play Ball, Hope my #6 batter doesn't hit into a double play.

I'm thinking in this Situation, I'm going to be very lucky to score any runs. I'm very much in Jeopardy of a possible double play on a hit from my number #6 batter. Even if I fade the double play here, I'm most likely going to take another out. I still have two weak batters coming up to bat. I feel unless I put some real pressure on the defense, I'm very much looking at best case scenario of going into International Tie Breaker. And if we do this, I'm going to struggle to get back to the tops of my batting order with less then one out.



Coaches what your Offense options?

 

[coachjwb]

We don't know anything about the speed of the baserunners, but we probably can't assume they're the fastest on the team since it's the #4 and #5 hitters. At 14-U, we have to also assume that the chances of stealing 3B on a decent catcher isn't very good. I'm much more likely to have #6 bunt to get those runners into scoring position where the runner on 3B could score on a wild pitch, passed ball, fly ball to the outfield, or maybe even a right-side grounder. The other thing I like about the bunt is that it puts pressure on the defense to make a play ... maybe everyone is safe, or the defense throws it away.

 

[tjsmize3]

Totally agree with Jeff. Time to bunt. Just being able to get the bunt down in this situation puts a lot more pressure on the defense and opens up so many more possibilities to score.

 

[Really]

Agree get the bunt down.

Then a Suicide Squeeze. PRESSURE PRESSURE AND MORE PRESSURE !!

 

[JoeA1010]

I would probably bunt here as well. The fact that the #7 and #8 hitters are bad does not help matters, though. If #7 is that bad, I might squeeze with her or even just get some bunt down to make something happen. I wouldn't worry much about a double play if I hit away, as a 6-4-3 is rare even at the 16-U and 18-U levels, let alone 14-U.

 

[FastBat]

I would, double steal (both safe and on 2 and 3), then batter 6 hits one to the grass; both score! Best case scenario, of course!

 

[WalkOffHR]

I never understand why coaches play for the small inning by bunting or stealing in this situation. Stealing 3rd at 14U should result with an out and a runner on second. You accomplish nothing. A runner on second with no outs SHOULD score eventually. Again, coaches tend to pull too many levers instead of letting the offense unfold.

We have scored three runs to this point. The pitcher is not unhittable. My 6 hitter has hit the ball twice to short. I remind the runner on 2nd not to run into a tag. Call time out. Conference with the hitter. I tell her to show bunt early and draw defense in and swing away. If the 3b has crashed on the bunt she will have a hard time getting back to 3b on a grounder to SS. There is a good chance that the SS broke for 3rd early on the fake bunt and maybe the ball gets through, if not it is still a tough play at 3b. Probably the SS goes to one.

If she gets one strike on her I have her bunt down third. Most likely the 3b makes throw to 1b.

 

[coachjwb]

WalkOff ... understand what you're saying and totally agree that stealing is a bad percentage move here. But I disagree with your first sentence about bunting (though in your last sentence you do acknowledge in your last sentence that you would bunt with one strike). I know bunting was huge some years back when pitchers dominated more, and that some coaches haven't adjusted their philosophy as the times have changed. Some newer coaches on the other hand never want to bunt and see it as too conservative. But I would argue that the bunt can actually be a pretty aggressive/attacking move that puts a lot of pressure on the defense, especially with 60' bases. I have seen literally hundreds of times in my coaching career where the defense either fumbled the ball or threw it away, ate the ball, tried to make a force play and failed, or the runner just plain beat it out. And I love calling for the bunt when no one is expecting it. In this particular case, I could see telling the batter to look for a pitch she can drive on the first pitch or taking it if it's not. If it's a ball, you might have her do the same thing next pitch. If it's a strike, then look to lay down the bunt.

 

[tjsmize3]

"Again, coaches tend to pull too many levers instead of letting the offense unfold." ... I would completely agree with you here if it were not the 7th inning. Here I am thinking I want the lead. The most important thing for me here would be to do whatever I could to go into the bottom of the 7th with the lead.

"My 6 hitter has hit the ball twice to short. I remind the runner on 2nd not to run into a tag."... it's not the tag I'm worried about here. You have a force situation. If the infield is competent, decent chance they could get the lead runner at 3rd. That ball could just as easily go right to the cheating SS who now only needs to tag 3rd and possibly get a double play if you have a slow runner at first.

"If she gets one strike on her I have her bunt down third"
Again, I would bunt down 1st base line because I don't want the force out at 3rd.

Either way, it's a dice roll. I like that walkoff is going for the knockout!... and I hate giving the other team outs. But in this situation it's just too tempting for even me to not bunt.